Awaiting Fate
by Toa Karou
Summary: Multi-verse. The Waiting Area of the Well of All Sparks is never a dull place, thanks to a few red Autobot leaders... Chap 4: Truth or Dare Part I
1. Welcome!

This is the result of boredom. Was supposed to be doing homework, but I didn't have much inspiration for a narrative about a WWII soldier. This will be a series of really short one-shots (I admit I'm not good at writing anything longer than a thousand words.)

Note: The Optimi (plural of Optimus?) are a little (okay, very) OOC in this because, face it, who wouldn't after a near-death experience?

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, I'll have a lot more Gundams on my shelf now. But I don't.

Chapter 1

Optimus Prime fell to the ground, defeated. The gaping hole in his chest was bleeding profusely, staining the grass beneath him with blue energon. Error messages filled his vision as his spark prepared his massive frame for stasis lock. Before going offline, he managed to vocalise his last words: "Sam... run..." All of a sudden, everything went black.

The first thing Optimus noticed when he finally woke was a type of music humans usually played in devices which transported them vertically. They were called elevators, if his memory served him.

The next thing Optimus noticed was that his splitting headache was finally gone. Good, he subconsciously thought. It's been bugging me since the twins arrived.

He also thought he heard a voice faintly murmur, "Another one? This is a new record."

When he opened his optics, he saw about 4 pairs of optics staring back at him.

"GAHHH! Who are you?" Optimus quickly scrambled backwards, only to bang into a mech who was standing at his head.

"Calm down, friend. You're safe here." A red and blue mech (Wait, isn't everyone around me red and blue? Optimus thought) reassured him. Oddly enough, the mech's voice sounded very familiar, but Optimus couldn't put a finger on the reason.

"'Here'? Where's 'here'? Where am I? Who are you?" Optimus started to panic. The high of combat hadn't quite worn off yet, causing Optimus to tense and fidget uncomfortably. The piercing stares he was receiving from the strange mechs seemed to be boring into his very spark.

"Don't worry, you're in the Waiting Area of the Well Of All Sparks. This is where lost sparks stay while the outside world decides if we get to live again or join the Well Of All Sparks. I am Optimus Prime, and my companions here are Optimus Prime, Optimus Prime and Optimus Prime," a mech with yellow optics and a yellow diamond on his forehead said.

Optimus slowly lowered his arm, which had been raised in defence (When did I bring out my blade? He thought). "So... I'm dead?"

Another Optimus Prime (his body was red all over, except for a blue head with gold optics) replied, "Not quite. As Optimus Prime mentioned earlier, we are neither alive nor dead. Sparks may end up here if the host mech has a life-threatening injury, but has a chance of being revived. We have been stopped from entering the Well Of All Sparks due to our individual situations. Unfortunately, that would mean we can't get away from the ever-present annoying kid-appeal Autobot for long." (A/N: OMG a crack in the fourth wall!)

Optimus blinked a few times, before speaking, "I can't tell each one of you from the other. I don't think I can even tell myself from any of you."

The first mech to speak to him chuckled. "Very well. You can refer to me as First Prime. This is Fire Prime, Cat Prime and Young Prime."

Cat Prime, the second Optimus Prime to speak, defended, "I am not a cat, nor do I resemble one."

First Prime ignored him and continued, "Perhaps you would like to pick a designation for yourself?"

Optimus thought hard, but he was interrupted by a random mech: "Hey Flamey! Nice decos!" The mech then proceeded to bring up the high grade he had been consuming.

"Alright then, your name shall be Flamey," Young Prime said.

"... WHAT!?" Optimus Flamey fainted. His last thoughts were 'I hope Sam hurries and brings me back.'

------

A/N: To clarify, First Prime is G1 Prime (no duh), Fire Prime is RiD Prime, Cat Prime is Armada Prime (Well, he looks like a cat to me!) and Young Prime is TFA Prime. And apologies for Movie Prime's name... I couldn't resist!


	2. Guitar Hero

Prime's little OOCness is still present here. No stress and no responsibility... Time for him to take a long overdue break!

Note: These one-shots are hardly related to each other.

First Prime - G1 Prime

Fire Prime - RiD Prime

Cat Prime - Armada Prime

Young Prime - TFA Prime

Flamey - Movie Prime

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, the world would be overflowing with Optimi. But it's not.

Chapter 2

"So... what do you do while waiting?" Flamey asked. He had come to after a couple of joors and had finally (unwillingly) accepted his new designation.

The 4 Primes grinned at each other (yes, their masks are off) before replying in unison: "Guitar Hero!"

---insert traditional transition scene---

Later, in a separate section of the Waiting Area, a soundproof room with enormous surround sound speakers and a giant LED screen television set was occupied by 5 similar mechs. Each held their preferred 'instruments', except for Flamey, who opted to sit out and observe the game play.

"Let's play this track..." A preview of The Touch began to blast through the monstrous speakers. Everything else in the room began to vibrate, until the song was interrupted.

"No no, this one!" We Are The Champions played at an even higher volume, threatening to shatter a glass vase on a nearby desk containing metallic flowers.

"Please... Both of you have no taste!" The foreign song was cut short by Beat It. This time, the vase really did shatter. "Learn to appreciate the classics!"

"That's too old for my style. This is much better!" Today by The Smashing Pumpkins literally sent Flamey flying through the air.

After half an orn of argument, Flamey finally stood up from his blue-with-red-flames custom bean bag and snatched the controller from Cat Prime's hands. He scrolled through the list for a while, until he finally selected a song. What I've Done by Linkin Park. Afterwards, he took 3 large steps back to his comfortable seat and promptly plopped his aft down.

The 4 previously-squabbling Primes stared at Flamey in shock, before shrugging it off and proceeding to play their favourite game at universe-shattering decibels.


	3. Time

Even shorter one this time. Some of you may be wondering why Young Prime (aka TFA Optimus Prime) is still in the story, despite his death only lasting about 78 seconds. Here's the explanation.

First Prime - G1 Prime

Fire Prime - RiD Prime

Cat Prime - Armada Prime

Young Prime - TFA Prime

Flamey - Movie Prime

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, there would be more Transformers games for the PSP. But there isn't.

Chapter 4

The 5 Primes were lazing around the Waiting Area of the Well Of All Sparks. Flamey was laying on the couch with his long legs dangling over the armrests. Fire Prime, Cat Prime and Young Prime were arguing over the Wii controller as usual. First Prime was sprawled on a cushion chair, counting the number of smiley faces drawn on the ceiling the previous night by a possibly drunk Autobot. Currently, the Smiley count was up to 137.

Flamey groaned. "How long do I have to wait here?"

First Prime replied without a glance, "No one knows for sure. Time passes much slower here than in the real world. Someone who has only died for slightly more than a minute may be in here for deca-cycles."

Flamey had somehow managed to get himself into an awkward position where the upper half of his body was hanging upside-down with his legs still on the armrest. "Then it's going to be a long wait, huh?"

Not too far away from the 2 almost identical Primes, Cat Prime triumphantly stood with one heavily-armoured leg on Fire Prime and Young Prime, who was visibly sulking. He waved the Wii controller about in the air in victory. First Prime gave the newest addition a weary look. "Definitely."

"... Slag."


	4. Truth or Dare Part I

A/N: I'm trying to write them somewhat in character... but I've clearly failed EPICLY.

First Prime - G1 Prime

Fire Prime - RiD Prime

Cat Prime - Armada Prime

Young Prime - TFA Prime

Flamey - Movie Prime

Chapter 4

It was yet another day (or night? I've lost track of time, Flamey thought) in the same yellow-walled prison that is the Waiting Area. The 5 Primes were playing a fairly simple game: Truth or Dare. Cat Prime pointed to First Prime and asked, "Hey big guy, truth or dare?"

First Prime, confident of his choices as he was on the battlefield, replied without hesitation, "Dare."

Cat Prime snickered before scribbling something on a datapad and passing it the long way around the small ring to First Prime. With each successful pass, the expressions on the Primes' faces told First Prime that he would most definitely not like the challenge one bit. When he finally got his blue hands on the datapad, his optics widened before he yelled, "Are you serious? There's no way I'm doing this!"

The other Primes glared at him with their signature 'Your-Prime-Wills-It-So-Better-Do-It-Or-Get-Sent-To-The-Brig' look in their optics and droned in unison, "Do it."

First Prime gulped before nodding his head slowly. He stood up from his Big Red Bot couch and walked over to the centre of the Waiting Area. He 'cleared his throat' and started to read a datapad out loud. "May I have your attention please?" All the bots in the room turned and watched First Prime. He then nervously continued, "I, Optimus Prime, am now going to sing a song titled 'Nobody', sung by the human Korean group, Wonder Girls."

At the mere mention of the song title, the enormous crowd (where did everyone come from, Flamey thought) cheered loudly. Not surprisingly, most of the bots present seem to be femmes from First Prime's own universe. (Wait, what happened to them, thought First Prime, shouldn't they be on Cybertron? Where's Elita??)

Only a few seconds into the song, the sea of bots (Autobots, Decepticons and Neutrals) finally know the reason why First Prime doesn't sing.

After the (agonising) 4 minutes, First Prime stomped over to Cat Prime and simply tossed the microphone he had been using at his head. He then sank back into his Big Red Bot couch and repeatedly mumbled something along the lines of "Choose truth, not dare... choose truth, not dare..." Nearby, Flamey was in a similar scene. "Never attempt to sing... never attempt to sing..."


End file.
